Kwame Harris charged with felony abuse

KWAME HARRIS

Updated 11:08 am, Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Kwame Harris, 30, is facing charges of assault after prosecutors say he allegedly seriously injured his boyfriend in Menlo Park restaurant in August 2012.

Kwame Harris, 30, is facing charges of assault after prosecutors say he allegedly seriously injured his boyfriend in Menlo Park restaurant in August 2012.

Photo: Courtesy, San Mateo County Sheriff

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San Francisco 49ers tackle Kwame Harris sits on the bench while the defense is on the field against the Indianapolis Colts at Monster Park in Oct 2005.

San Francisco 49ers tackle Kwame Harris sits on the bench while the defense is on the field against the Indianapolis Colts at Monster Park in Oct 2005.

Photo: Jeff Lewis-US PRESSWIRE, US PRESSWIRE

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Raiders new left tackle, Kwame Harris at the Raiders Napa training camp on Monday, August 4, 2008.

Raiders new left tackle, Kwame Harris at the Raiders Napa training camp on Monday, August 4, 2008.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

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San Francisco 49ers head coach Dennis Erickson, right, smiles at tackle Kwame Harris in the final seconds before the 49ers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-7, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2003 in San Francisco.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Dennis Erickson, right, smiles at tackle Kwame Harris in the final seconds before the 49ers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-7, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2003 in San Francisco.

Photo: Paul Sakuma, AP

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Kwame Harris answers questions from the media at the end of practice on Aug. 22, 2005 in Santa Clara.

Kwame Harris answers questions from the media at the end of practice on Aug. 22, 2005 in Santa Clara.

Photo: Lea Suzuki, SFC

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Oakland Raiders Kwame Harris (77) (center) rests on the bench during the second half of the Oakland Raiders vs. New Orleans Saints game at the New Orleans Superdome on Sunday, October 12, 2008 in New Orleans.

Oakland Raiders Kwame Harris (77) (center) rests on the bench during the second half of the Oakland Raiders vs. New Orleans Saints game at the New Orleans Superdome on Sunday, October 12, 2008 in New Orleans.

Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle

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San Francisco 49ers Kwame Harris (77) pats San Francisco 49ers Frank Gore (21)'s head after his first quarter touchdown run on Nov. 12, 2006 against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.

San Francisco 49ers Kwame Harris (77) pats San Francisco 49ers Frank Gore (21)'s head after his first quarter touchdown run on Nov. 12, 2006 against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.

Kwame Harris of the 49ers looks at the scoreboard from the bench after losing to the Vikings on Sept. 28, 2003 in Minneapolis.

Kwame Harris of the 49ers looks at the scoreboard from the bench after losing to the Vikings on Sept. 28, 2003 in Minneapolis.

Photo: John Storey, SFC

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Kwame Harris charged with felony abuse

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Former 49ers and Raiders tackle Kwame Harris faces charges that he assaulted his boyfriend at a Menlo Park restaurant after an argument involving soy sauce and underpants, San Mateo County prosecutors said Monday.

Harris, 30, became angry with Dimitri Geier, 36, in August at Su Hong restaurant on Menlo Avenue, according to court documents.

The ex-football player got incensed when Geier tried to put soy sauce on Harris' rice, said Al Serrato, a San Mateo County prosecutor.

"Basically, they're having dinner together and they get into a verbal dispute and it gets violent from there," Serrato said. "One of them had poured soy sauce onto the rice and the verbal dispute had escalated."

Serrato said the men were romantically involved and previously had lived together. Geier, a resident of Los Angeles, was visiting Harris at the time of the altercation, said Craig Charles, Geier's attorney.

"They'd broken up and gotten back together a few times," Charles said. "It was not a formal relationship."

During the restaurant argument, Harris accused Geier of stealing his underwear, Serrato said. Harris then tried to pull down Geier's pants, the prosecutor said.

"I guess he was trying to prove that he was wearing his underwear," Serrato said.

Harris, 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds, then pinned Geier (6-1, 220 pounds) against a plate-glass window and hit him several times in the face and head, Serrato said.

Doctors at O'Connor Hospital in San Jose determined that Geier had sustained complex compound facial fractures that required surgery and the insertion of a metal plate, Serrato said.

Harris later was charged with felony domestic abuse with great bodily injury and assault with great bodily injury, prosecutors said. Harris pleaded not guilty in the fall and made a pretrial appearance Monday in San Mateo County Superior Court. He is scheduled to go to trial in April.

Defense attorneys did not return messages seeking comment.

Geier sued Harris in October in San Mateo County seeking unspecified damages. Through an attorney, Harris has denied all the suit's claims.

Harris went to Stanford and was the 49ers' first pick in the 2003 draft. He played five seasons for the team before signing with the Raiders as a free agent.

He played the 2008 season with Oakland, then was released. He has been out of football since then.

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